Monday, July 09, 2012

New research backs sweeteners as diet aid

Well, well, well...not to say, "I told you so!" or anything, but yet more research has come out to support the role of non-nutritive sweeteners like sucralose in maintaining or losing weight. Two major health organizations - the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes
Association - have endorsed sugar substitutes as a dietary aid.

"There may be a benefit to people who use them
smartly and who don't compensate later in the day and negate the
benefit," said Christopher Gardner, lead author of the new scientific
statement.

According to the research, which is being published in the journals Circulation and Diabetes Care, there is also some evidence that consuming products with low-calorie sweeteners can help people with diabetes monitor their
sugar intake, a key component of managing diabetes.
"Picking
diet sodas over sodas or even picking foods with non-nutritive
sweeteners can have a direct impact on sugar intake and [can be used] as
a viable tool to get people to monitor their sugar intake," said Gardner.

Are sugar substitutes a magic bullet? No. A person who drinks 12 diet sodas a
day or regularly consumes a gallon of sucralose-sweetened ice cream
should not expect to lose weight. However, low-calorie sweeteners are
another tool to incorporate into an overall healthy lifestyle that
includes exercise and a balanced diet. So my advice is, ditch the regular soda and grab a diet version. With
that change alone, you will cut 150 calories a day from your
diet, which could ultimately result in a 15-pound weight loss over the
course of a year.

You can utilize calorie savings calculators like this one
to help shrink the waistline, remembering that weight loss and physical fitness
will not happen overnight and require a lifelong commitment.

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About Me

I'm a former print reporter who recently moved into the world of communications for the slightly larger paycheck and increased work stability. By day, I work for several associations - including the Calorie Control Council - and attempt to bring a little humor into the non-profit sector. By night, I can be found visiting cheap ethnic restaurants, dive bars with a diverse draft selection or trying to find one of the three cabs that seem to circulate around Atlanta. I'm writing this blog to chronicle my recent adoption of a healthier, sugar-free lifestyle as well as to encourage others to take similar steps. For both personal and professional reasons, I aim to stay informed about the latest low-calorie lifestyle news, research and trends. If you're looking for tips and advice on sugar-free eating, as well as pithy observations on a range of topics, then you're visiting the right blog!